Film drying machine



Sept. 19, 1933.

M. E. LONG FILM DRYING MACHINE Filed March 29, 1930 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 153L022 NVENTOR ATTORNEY Sept. 19, M, E. LONG FILM DRYING MACHINE Filed March 29, 1930 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 115L072; MENTOR ATTOF NEV Sept. 19, 1933. M. E. LONG FILM DRYING MACHINE Filed March 29, 1930 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 000000000000000 000000000000000 000000000000000 0o00o00o0000 0000000000 00000 00000000900000 0000000700000 00 0000000 0 0000 00 00 000 00 000000 ATTORNEY Sept. 19, 1933. M. E. LONG 1,927,711

FILM DRYING MACHINE Filed March 29, 1930 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 EMENT'O ATTORNEY Patented Sept. 19, 1933 I r I 1 1,927,111 FILM DRYING MACHINE Millard E. Long, San Antonio, Tex., 'assignor' to Q Carl D. Newton, San Antonim'Tex. I

. pplication March 29, 1930. Serial No, 440,11) 1 claim; (on. 34-12 e This invention relates to .a device :for drying photographic films, the general iobject of the invention being to provide means whereby a large quantity of films can be easily and vquickly dried by paming them through a drying .chamber at the proper speed, with means for con-,

trolling the temperature, direction of flow and the humidity of the air passing through the chamber.

a A further object of the invention is to provide means for removing surplus water from the films before they enter the chamber. a This invention also consists in certain othe 7 features of construction and in the combination and arrangement of the several parts, to be hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings and specifically pointed out in the appended claim.

In describing the invention in detail, reference will be had to the accompanying drawings wherein like characters denote like or corresponding parts throughout the several views, and in which:

Figure 1 is an elevation of the invention.

Figure 2 is a view of one end thereof.

Figure 3 is a section on line 3-3 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a section on line 4-4 of Figure 1.

Figure 5 is an elevation, partly in section, showing a modification.

In these drawings, the numeral 1 indicates a housing having its sides and top closed and its ends open, except the lower parts thereof, as shown at 2. An extension 3 projects from one end of each side of the housing an appreciable distance from the top and each extension supports the bearings for a stub shaft 4, the inner end of which carries a sprocket 5. Stub shafts 6 are arranged at the other end of the housing and carry on their inner'ends the sprockets 7. An endless chain 8 passes over each pair of sprockets 5 and 6 so that the chains parallel.

each other and are spaced apart so as to support the bars 9 to which the films 10 to be dried are attached by the clips 11. The bars are supported at their ends by the chains. Thus the bars carrying the films are moved through the housing from one end to the other by the chains. The chains are driven from a motor 12 through the sprockets and chains, shown generally at 13,

with the last chains passing over sprockets on the shaft 6.

A heater 14 of any desired type and controlled by a thermostat 15 is used to heat air supplied to the same from a fan 16 operated by a motor 17, the air being delivered to the heater from 'forated plate 21. I :upwardly from the perforations and contact-the by the chains.

that they are dried before they reach the rear end of the device. The speed with which the films are conveyed through the device can be the damper 26.

the fan through a pipe 18 and the air froma the heater is delivered to the housing by thewdis- :tributor pipes 19 whichdischarge into different parts .of a chamber 2( formed in the bottom of the housing by a horizontally arranged :per Thus the heated air will pass films as they-are conveyed through the housing A discharge'pipe 22 has its horizontal portion connected-with the top of the housingat .dif ferent points by the ducts .23 and .the' .ve1.tical part of the pipe conducts the heatedair to the exterior of the building in which thedevice is placed. A pipe 24 connects the'central .part of the horizontal part of the pipe 22 with the-intake of the fan 16 and this pipe 24 is provided with anopening 25 controlled by a slideor damper 26. The opening 25 is in communication with the room or building in which the device is placed so that when the damper is opened or partly opened, the air from the room will be drawn into the circulating system which will lessen the amount of air taken from the pipe 22 and thus permit more of the moisture laden 9 air from the housing to'escape to the atmosphere from the pipe 22. As'the-air drawn into the opening 25 is taken from the room, this air has less moisture in it so that by means of the damper 26, the amount of moisture inthe heated air passing though the housing .can be controlled. g V

A motor driven fan 27 is supported from the device above the front end of the conveyor so that surplus moisture on the films will be removed by this fan before the films enter the housing.

The film carrying bars are delivered to the diagonally arranged conveyors 28 at the rear end of the housing, as these chains are arranged to receive the bars from the chains 8 and these chains 28 deliver the bars on the shelves 29; The chains 28 are held taut by the regulated and the moisture contents of the air used in drying the'films can be controlled by v If desired, an arrangement similar to that shown at the rear end of the device can be used to deliver the film carrying bars to the conveyor chains 8.

The arrangement of the deliverypipes 19 and the perforated plate 21 insures an even distribution of the heated air throughout the housing. 7 1 g p In themodification shown in Figure 5',-some of the heated air is delivered into a chamber 32 at the top of the front end of the housing by means of the pipes 19. As the bottom of this chamber is perforated, as shown at 33, thisair will be directed downwardly and it will be drawn through the perforated plate 34 at the bottom of the front part of the housing and through the pipes 35. Some of the air is delivered in the lower chamber 36 at'the rear partof the; housing and after passing through the per-' forations 37, will pass upwardly through the housing and pass from the top of the same through the pipe 38. Thus in this form of the device, the air flows downwardly in. the front part of the housing and upwardly. in the rear part thereof.

It is thought from the foregoing description that such changes fall within the scope of the appended claim.

, What I claim is:

A photographic film drying device ofv the character described; comprising a housing having opposite partly open inlet and outlet ends, twin conveyor means arranged interiorly of'the housing close to opposite sides thereof and extended through and beyond the inlet end, means for delivering a drying medium within the housvingand at separated intervals of said conveyor means, surplus moisture removing means overhanging the extended conveyormeans at the ,films therebetween upon the bar, inclined conveyors having connection with the shelf and located between the same and the twin conveyor means and inclined away from the latter in the direction of the shelf, flights on the last named conveyor for receiving the bar from the twin conveyor means, means for tensioning the separated portions to prevent sagging of the inclined conveyors, and a driving trainv arranged exteriorly upon the housing and 'connectedxthrough opposite sides thereof with the twin conveyor means and the inclined conveyors, the shelf constituting an automatic receiver forthe bar and releasing the latter from the flights of the inclined conveyors, said twin conveyor 'mean s.

inclined conveyors and separated portions of the shelf being close to each other at the outlet end of the housing.

. 1 MILLARDE. LONG. 

